Graham Rice's New Plants Blog

Editor-in-Chief of the RHS Encyclopedia of Perennials; writer for a wide range of newspapers and magazines including The Garden and The Plantsman; member of the RHS Herbaceous Plant Committee and Floral Trials Committee; author of many books on plants and gardens.

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Pelargonium ‘Angel’s Perfume’: Colourful flowers, fragrant foliage

Developments in what we all call geraniums – zonal pelargoniums – are fast and furious around the world with new colours and colour combinations, and continual refinements and improvements in habit and reliability. Ivy-leaved geraniums, too, are steadily being improved and in recent years we’ve also seen better Regal pelargoniums, especially for outdoor containers. Now Angel pelargoniums are also in focus.

Many of us will remember the long series of fine exhibits at flower shows from Derek Lloyd Dean who did such an admirable job ensuring that so many Angel pelargoniums were preserved. Now PAC-Elsner, for many years the world’s top pelargonium breeders, have turned their attention to these small-flowered prettily patterned Angel types in the form of the Angel Eyes Series – the latest of which adds aromatic foliage to the colourful flowers.

‘Angel’s Perfume’ features a mass of flowers, over a long summer season, each bloom made up of two burgundy upper petals and three pink lower petals splashed in burgundy. The plants start to bloom in June, continue into the autumn, and if containers are brought into the conservatory they should flower into the winter. Reaching 30-38cm in height, plants develop a spreading, slightly arching habit making them ideal in containers, especially as specimens.

The final flourish - the perfume - comes in the form of the lemon-scented foliage giving this plant the rare combination of an amazingly colourful floral display plus aromatic leaves. Ideal in a patio container.

By the way, just to be clear, the correct name for this plant is Angel’s Perfume (‘Pacperfu’) but some nurseries are selling it as ‘Angel Eyes Perfume’.